Truck drivers spend four days on average in the queue at South Africa’s Kopfontein Border Post into Botswana, a road freight industry executive has said.
The wait on the R49, where cross-border congestion has caused serious supply chain delays since the Groblersbrug Border Post was flooded, comes without any emergency amenities for long-distance drivers.
This is despite the Limpopo River breaking its banks more than three weeks ago, causing an immediate bottlenecking issue at Kopfontein after over-border cargo carriers, mainly heading to the Copperbelt, were forced to divert to Kopfontein.
Earlier this week, Mike Fitzmaurice, regional vice president of the African Union’s Organisation for Transport and Logistics, said it was inhumane and completely unacceptable that authorities could not have done something to assist drivers.
“We have seen this many times before, where borders experience congestion and drivers are left up to their own devices without access to water, food or portable ablution.”
Stephen Segal, divisional director of clearing and forwarding at Value Logistics, said it was also not just over-border drivers in cabins equipped with beds that were stuck at the border.
Because Kopfontein is used as an express crossing for short-leg logistics into Botswana’s capital, drivers in much smaller trucks are forced to wait in line.
“We’re about four days behind on our cargo heading into Gaborone,” he said.
“Our drivers are complaining bitterly. They’re sitting in a queue that’s sometimes 10 kilometres, and it takes four days on average to get through.”
A video taken by a driver on his cellphone shows a long line of trucks parked on the side of the road while cars are speeding past.
The driver indicated that he arrived in the queue at 3am and “has a long, long way to go still”.
Segal said although they understood the nature of the problem, more capacity should be installed at the border to speed up the movement of trucks.
He added that rigidly enforced cargo scanning on Tlokweng Border Control in Botswana was contributing to delays.
“We receive regular updates that authorities are fixing things at Groblersbridge and that the border will reopen soon.
“In the meantime, there’s nothing we can do except stand in line and wait.”
On March 25 the Transit Assistance Bureau received information, apparently from the Border Management Authority (BMA), that Groblersbrug would reopen at 2pm on the 27th.
This could not be confirmed through the BMA.
A tanker operator responsible for delivering fuel to copper mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said: “I’m not holding my breath about Groblersbrug. We’re often told one thing, only to experience something else.
“We have suffered serious losses because of the Botswana border issue,” he said, adding that driving through Zimbabwe was currently not feasible.
“Border charges at Beitbridge are very expensive and it’s difficult to process refundable payments for taking in-transit cargo through Zim. What’s more, the roads are bad and there are various spot-checks along the way for smuggled goods. It all adds to delays.”
Segal said they were still calculating the cost of an express border that could take up to a week to clear, excluding travel time between Gauteng and Gaborone.
“We’re also not passing that expense on to our clients. We have to absorb it.”
The BMA has not commented about helping to alleviate the plight of drivers.
